Inferno in Indian school

We express our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the bereaved parents, if it brings any consolation at all to the unexpected loss that they have experienced. But couldn't it have been avoided? Couldn't the parents be spared the agony of burying the charred bodies of their children? Didn't the children themselves deserve a chance to live and fulfil their dreams? May be yes, at least that's what the avoidable chain of events indicates. First of all, the school did not seem to have more than one entrance; in fact, the same path was being used for entering and exiting the premises. Secondly, the school also did not seem to have any fire alarm system. And lastly, the role of the teachers came under a question-mark. What has shocked people most is that every single teacher in the school escaped unscathed even as the students were battling to find an escape route.

We are glad to learn that all the schools with thatched roofs in the same state have been shut down by government orders until alternative arrangements are made. But no amount of post-crisis action or monetary compensation announced by the Indian central government can compensate the loss. All these are signals that remind us of the possible danger the school-going children of Bangladesh might have been exposed to. We wonder whether the schools that have been mushrooming all over Bangladesh have learnt a lesson from this tragic accident. We don't know whether these schools have fire extinguishers in the first place, leave alone any marked fire exit. We urge the authorities to take immediate precautionary measures after inspecting the schools for their fire safety status so that the gaps may be filled in good time for averting accidental fires.

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